When a customer contacts an organization regarding a service need, a service representative typically interfaces with the customer to address the customer's service needs. During such person-to-person interfaces between the customer and the service representative, various difficulties may arise.
For example, the native languages of the customer and the service representative may be different. Even if the service representative is familiar with the customer's native language on a conversational basis, language barriers may still prohibit effective and efficient exchanges between the customer and the service representative.
As another example, the service representative may not relate to the particular concern of the customer. In a situation where the customer is an enthusiastic fan of a certain sports team, the customer's need may involve a service relating to the sports team. If the service representative is unfamiliar with the sports team or with the needs related to that sport, the service representative's unfamiliarity may impair effective and efficient exchanges between the customer and the service representative.
Accordingly, it is desirable to facilitate effective and efficient person-to-person exchanges between the customer and the service representative. Such person-to-person exchanges between the customer and the service representative can be facilitated when attributes of the service representative correspond to attributes of the customer. For example, it may be desirable to have a service representative fluent in the customer's native language interface with the customer. As another example, it may be desirable to have a service representative who is a fan of the same sports team as the customer interface with the customer.
However, matching service representative attributes with customer attributes is not easily accomplished. Further, in many situations, matching the service representative attributes with customer attributes must be done in a very short period of time. For example, if the customer calls into the organization's call center with a question, then there will be relatively little time to locate a service representative with attributes that match the customer's attributes if the customer is to be serviced in a timely manner.